Government targets tired company car drivers with new campaign

DfT March 25, 2008

Company car drivers are one of the major targets of a new Government campaign aimed at cracking down on the number of road crashes involving tired motorists.

Driver tiredness accounts for around one fifth of accidents on major roads, and is responsible for around 300 deaths per year on the UK’s roads, according to the Department for Transport.

Now the Department, under its THINK! safety banner, has launched a new driver tiredness campaign targeting all drivers with a particular focus on those who drive for work including young company car drivers under 30 years of age and company car drivers aged 30-44 years as well as HGV/LGV drivers.

Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said: “We all want to finish our journeys as quickly as possible but being tired at the wheel is a proven killer that we cannot ignore.

“People who drive for work are particularly at risk but there are simple steps we can all take to make our journeys safer. Plan regular stops into a long trip and if you find yourself yawning pull over and take a break - this could make the difference between life and death.”

A You Gov poll of British drivers shows only 18% of motorists always take a yawn as a sign to pull over. Out of the 1,500 motorists polled only one in five (22%) always plan breaks in their car journeys, while more than a quarter (26%) admit to having driven for up to or more than four hours without a break.

The campaign focuses on radio advertising as it enables the Department to target drivers in-situ, at a point when the driver tiredness message will have most relevance to them. The advertising is supported with advertising in motorway and A road service stations, online advertising, partnership marketing activity, PR activity and publicity materials that are reinforced with the key message:

The campaign, focused around urging drivers that ‘Tiredness kills. Take a 15 minute break every two hours’is part of a wider driving for work campaign which has been developed by THINK!

A THINK! spokesman said: “People who drive for work are an at risk group, demonstrating key risk behaviours such as talking on mobile phones whilst driving, speeding and driving whilst tired. However, although an at risk group, they do not recognise themselves as being at risk, nor do they recognise themselves as a group.”

Campaigns on mobile phone use and speeding are already in place. The fatigue campaign has been developed specifically with the work driver in mind. It aims to:

Encourage drivers to take a 15 minute break every two hours of driving Increase awareness of the dangers of driving while tired Increase awareness of the signs/symptoms of driver sleepiness.

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